Who on here rides motorcycles?I've been toying with the idea for the last couple years, eventually decided I was gonna do it earlier this year, and within the next month I'll be taking a safety course and getting a mid sized cruiser.

I had one for several years, but sold it a year and a half ago. Just wasn't worth the risk to me anymore. I had too many close calls. Hitting deer, rear blow out at 85 mph, and getting run off the road by idiots not checking their mirrors.

They are fun man, but be safe. Had a buddy killed on one several years ago, and it can happen in an instant.

B.E.Nelli wrote:I had one for several years, but sold it a year and a half ago. Just wasn't worth the risk to me anymore. I had too many close calls. Hitting deer, rear blow out at 85 mph, and getting run off the road by idiots not checking their mirrors.

They are fun man, but be safe. Had a buddy killed on one several years ago, and it can happen in an instant.

I've thought about the risks a lot...it could change after I start riding I suppose, just like it did for you, but since most of my driving will be in town, 35-40mph speed limit, and I'll be wearing a good helmet and jacket every single ride, I figure my chances of dying or getting a serious injury aren't as bad as it could be. I mean yeah it's definitely riskier than a cage vehicle, but cars aren't 100% safe either...I definitely won't be going 85, don't have the desire for that. Or the courage/stupidity, lol. When I do ride highway it'll probably be under 70, just to be a bit more safe. I read that over 90% of motorcycle accidents involve riders who never took a safety course, who learned from friends/family...yep, that applies to me at the moment. In a few weeks I'll be taking a basic course though, to get every advantage I can get before hitting the road.

archery1973 wrote:I was paralyzed from the sternum down on bike going 40 mph on a Thursday at 1pm. Someone pulled out in front of me and I went head first into his door. 6 years ago this month.

Bikes are not the problem; cars and bad drivers are the problem.

Ride like you are invisible cuz you are to many drivers.

I am sorry to hear that and unfortunately I have heard that from others too. Bikes just scare me to death.

X2I've had 2 relatives that died in bike wrecks. One was underage and never had training, the other was drunk and never had training.Archery1973, were you wearing all your safety gear? If not, would it have helped?Not trying to place any blame here or anything since I have no idea of what happened...and this isn't directed toward you, just some crap I read this afternoon...but statistically, in most accidents the rider was doing something wrong (whether they were at fault or not, and this includes taking turns too sharp or fast and crashing, etc.), and in fatalities half the riders are drunk. Only a small portion (like less than 25%ish) of accidents involved a sober rider who was driving safely.It's still quite a bit more dangerous than riding in a cage vehicle, but it seems like the way these statistics are compiled is exaggerating the risk since it includes drunk riders and all the riders that don't wear helmets and safety gear. Also read that 3% of new motorcycle buyers have taken a safety course....damn.Again, really sorry to hear that. That's my worst fear about it. Dying is one thing, but being paralyzed is worse. At least it would be IMO.Like I said before there's a possibility that I might end up selling my bike and some point and giving it up. Just won't know how I feel about it until I try it.

It was May 1, 2008 and I just got done with opening turkey morning. I had day off and wanted to take my bike for inspection and oil change. My 72 yro dad was following me in his car. A blazer pulled out and was in my lane was I traveled in south lane. So, I went head first into his door. I broke a bunch of ribs, cracked C3-C5 in my neck, shattered T10-T11 in my back, and tore my diaphragm. If I hadn't broken my back, I would be 100% fine right now.

I had a great time riding and never even had a close call until that accident. I'm not anti-bike at all. But, if I could go back and never touch a bike, I would in a heart beat.

Everything thing in life is a risk and you just have to decide what your risk tolerance. Like whether riding a bike creates enough benefit to justify the risk. Knowing what I know now.......no way.

It was May 1, 2008 and I just got done with opening turkey morning. I had day off and wanted to take my bike for inspection and oil change. My 72 yro dad was following me in his car. A blazer pulled out and was in my lane was I traveled in south lane. So, I went head first into his door. I broke a bunch of ribs, cracked C3-C5 in my neck, shattered T10-T11 in my back, and tore my diaphragm. If I hadn't broken my back, I would be 100% fine right now.

I had a great time riding and never even had a close call until that accident. I'm not anti-bike at all. But, if I could go back and never touch a bike, I would in a heart beat.

Everything thing in life is a risk and you just have to decide what your risk tolerance. Like whether riding a bike creates enough benefit to justify the risk. Knowing what I know now.......no way.

Just something to think about.

Damn.Your last few sentences couldn't be more true...a bike does increase risks, more so than most activities, and now that I think about it I take risks every day. Despite the very small chance of something bad happening, it could easily happen. Riding a bike would add onto those risks and increase the chances. Something to think about.The type of accident you were in + the result of it has got to be pretty rare, I don't know of anyone that's happened to. That's really awful that you had no incidents or anything prior, then your life permanently changed in a flash.

It was May 1, 2008 and I just got done with opening turkey morning. I had day off and wanted to take my bike for inspection and oil change. My 72 yro dad was following me in his car. A blazer pulled out and was in my lane was I traveled in south lane. So, I went head first into his door. I broke a bunch of ribs, cracked C3-C5 in my neck, shattered T10-T11 in my back, and tore my diaphragm. If I hadn't broken my back, I would be 100% fine right now.

I had a great time riding and never even had a close call until that accident. I'm not anti-bike at all. But, if I could go back and never touch a bike, I would in a heart beat.

Everything thing in life is a risk and you just have to decide what your risk tolerance. Like whether riding a bike creates enough benefit to justify the risk. Knowing what I know now.......no way.

Just something to think about.

Thanks for sharing. Are you able to still hunt and enjoy the outdoors?

Been riding off and on for more than 43 years, been hit twice. The first time when I was 16 and stopped to make a turn and was rear ended by a breast feeding mother, yep that happened, second time by a fella that run a stop sign when I was 17, doing 25 mph 2 blocks from the house. I will probably always ride its just in the the blood.

Did the MSF course 2 weeks ago, got a bike last Saturday. 2001 Honda Shadow Spirit 750. Pretty low mileage (13k), just changed oil the other night, putting a new chain and sprocket on this weekend, new front tire in a few months. Other than that it is 100%. Ended up burning almost a whole tank of gas today driving around town multiple times. One of the most addicting things I've ever done. I found myself driving it differently than I do a 4 wheel vehicle in traffic, seeing every vehicle near me as a potential crash. But as long as I stay on my toes, aware of what everyone is doing, practice evasive maneuvers I was taught, and don't drive in Tulsa during rush hour, I feel pretty good about it.

Rode down 169 into Tulsa later yesterday evening....not doing that again, that's a no ride zone for me lol. Today I tested my speedometer and found out I'm 4-5mph slow at higher speeds (65+), but I was still doing a true 65mph last night, while getting blown past by idiots going 75-85 IN city limits. Usually if you're going 70 in that stretch of highway you are passing just about everyone, not last night though. Way too many morons doing unpredictable sh1t at speeds too high for me to process what everyone around me was doing, and avoid obstacles in the road at the same time. Haven't had any close calls or anything yet but I'm accepting that is beyond my skill level and probably always will be, so cage vehicles only on Tulsa freeways for me. Everywhere else has been easy riding though.